Following Tefillin Incident, Israel Education Minister Vows Clear Policy on Religious Rights in Schools

JERUSALEM – Education Minister Yoav Kisch announced Monday a groundbreaking step to protect religious expression in Israeli schools. Speaking at the Knesset Subcommittee on Jewish Thought in Education, chaired by MK Galit Distel Atbaryan, Kisch unveiled the national “Shoreshim” (Roots) initiative, aimed at strengthening Jewish and Zionist identity across the education system.

כל תלמיד שירצה להניח תפילין – יוכל לעשות זאת!

הנחת התפילין היא חלק בלתי נפרד מהמורשת היהודית שלנו.
מערכת החינוך בהובלתי תחזיר את הזהות היהודית והציונית למרכז והצעד הזה הוא עוד נדבך בדרך. pic.twitter.com/Xe1Qro1p1S

— יואב קיש Yoav Kisch (@YoavKisch) June 9, 2025

As part of the program, Kisch revealed that—for the first time—his ministry is drafting an official directive (known as a chokzer menahel) to explicitly authorize and facilitate the laying of tefillin in public schools. “Every student in the State of Israel who wants to lay tefillin will be able to do so,” Kisch declared. “This is a basic right and a foundational value in a Jewish state. The education system under my leadership is bringing Jewish and Zionist identity back to the forefront, and tefillin is an inseparable part of that.”

The announcement follows a string of recent incidents that sparked public outcry. Last week, a student who set up a tefillin stand at a middle school in Emek Hefer was reportedly harassed by a teacher and summoned for a disciplinary meeting. Additionally, during a broadcast of Channel 13’s “War Zone,” former MK Mickey Rosenthal made inflammatory remarks about a pro-tefillin charity, saying, “I would strangle him with tefillin,” referring to a volunteer with the group. Although other panelists condemned the comment, Rosenthal doubled down rather than apologize.

In light of these events, advocacy groups such as Hotam praised Kisch’s move but stressed the importance of concrete action. “We welcome Minister Kisch’s remarks, but public declarations must translate into clear policy and effective enforcement,” the group said in a statement. “No student should fear practicing their faith while the Education Ministry looks the other way.”

Hotam called for the immediate distribution of the directive to all schools, along with a monitoring mechanism to ensure implementation. “We will be following closely,” the organization concluded, “to make sure these promises become reality.”